Intermitter valve for producing oil wells



Jan. 2S, 1941. A. T. WATSON INTERMITTER VALVE FOR PRODUCING- OIL WELLS Filed Aug. 24, 195s `v mm. mm. wvm, v

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IN VEN T 0R. M750/V) Patented Jan. 28, 1941 I UNTED STATES INTERMETTER VALVE FR PRGDUCING OIL WELLS Athelstan T. Watson, Cabimas, Zulia, Venezuela Application August 24, 1938, Serial No. 226,605

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an intermitter valve for installation in a high pressure gas or air lift line associated with producing oil wells and it consists in the constructions, arrangements and com- 5 binations herein described and claimed.

It is an object of the invention to provide an intermitter valve embodying automatic controlled timing to evacuate uid through the macaroni string as fast as the string fills up with uid.

v It is also an object of the invention to provide novel arrangements of valves whereby the intermittency of operation may be regulated according to flow of oil in the well.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an intermitter valve of extreme simplicity, enabling construction at a low cost; one which employs a minimum of gas in operation, and one which is free from .troubles arising from sand intermingling with the fluid elevated.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l is a plan view of the intermitter valve installed in a high pressure gas line.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a back pressure valve guide.

Attention is first invited to Figure 1 wherein there is shown a high gas pressure line I0 connected to a suitable conduit II by an extension line I2. A suitable Valve I3 is interposed between the lines I and I2 for a purpose presently to be explained. The line Ii! includes a by-pass line 35 I4 which has installed therein a valve I5, whereby ow of gas to a container I6 may be controlled.

The oil or other well is represented at I1 and includes a macaroni string generally indicated at I8. A pipe line I9 in communication with the header Ila opens into the macaroni string for admission of gas thereinto. An oil and gas dischargev line 20 is suitably connected to the well and will conduct the oil and gas to a suitable separator (not shown) for recovery of the gas. 45 As clearly shown in Figure 2, the intermitter valve 2l is connected tothe header I Ia, and in order that this connection may be made, the intermitter valve comprises a straight, flanged pipe section 22 complemental to a flanged port 23 of the header; and an elbow portion 24, flanged as at 25, for connection with a flanged port 26 of the conduit II.

The intermitter valve includes a tubing 21 one end of which is connected to the elbow 24, the other end having a back-pressure valve housing 28 connected thereto. At a suitable point in the tubing 21 there is an. upstanding cylinder 29, eX- tending transversely through the tube and closed at its lower end by a valve cage 3i), the upper end of which is faced to'provide a valve seat 3|. The cage 30 also has a port 32 adapted to register with la port 33 of the cylinder 29, these ports being in communication with the elbow 24, at all times. The cylinder 29 also includes a port 33a. positioned above the valve 31, opening upon the 10 high pressure chamber 21a of the conduit 21.

Within the cylinder 29 there is reciprocably mounted a triple valve 34. 'I'he valve 34 comprises a stem 35 guided by a block 36, the lower end of the stem having a poppet valve 31 com- 15 plemental to the seat 3I and yieldingly held thereto by a helical spring 38 interposed between the valve and the block 36. The stem 35 also F has a piston 33, positioned upon the upper side y of the guide 36 and a valve block 40 rigidly se- 20 cured in the cylinder 29 has a bore faced to receive a valve 4I, this valve being rigid, with the stem and held thereto by thetension of the spring 38. A second valve block 42 is xed in the cylinder 29and comprises a downwardly opening valve 25 face 43 complemental to a valve 44 xed to the upper end of the stem 35, the valve being held in open position until closed by actuation of the stem 35. The valve block 42 includes a vent 45 opening into a dome 46 xed to the upper end of 30 the cylinder.

The valve blocks 4I) and 42 each include a port 41-48 respectively permitting passage of gas therethrough, las will be apparent as the descripf tion proceeds. 35

In the present instance the valve blocks and 42 are shown as integrally connected by a sleeve 40a, the latter being secured within the cylinder by a screw plug 40h. The threaded end of the valve fitting 56 also engages in the sleeve. By 40 this construction the assembly may be readily removed for refacing of the valve faces, cleaning and otherwise.

The cylinder 29 has a threaded nipple 49 for securement of a valve cage 5U, which adjustably mounts a needle valve 5I for regulating ow of gas through ports 52, 53 and 54. The port 52 is in communication with a pipe 55 opening upon the tubing 21 in advance of the elbow 24, while the 50 port 54 opens immediately below the valve 4I.

A valve cage 56 is threadedly engaged with the cylinder 29 and the valve block 42, and comprises a port 51 in communication with a port 58 of the valve block 42. A needle 59 regulates the pres- 55 sure of gas within the dome by regulating passage of gas to the atmosphere through vent 60.

The back-pressure valve housing 28 comprises oppositely disposed valve seats 6I-62 immediately above the pipe section 22, and reciprocably mounted between these seats, for alternate seating engagement therewith, is a double-faced valve 63. The valve cage 64 which carries the valve seat 62 has a slide bearing support 65 for the rod 66 of the valve. The rod 66 has rigidly secured to its end a piston 61. The outer end of the housing 28 is interiorly screw-threaded and receives an adjusting plug 68, for varying the tension of a helical spring 69 interposed between the piston 61 and the plug. By adjusting the tension of the spring the opening movement of the Valve 63 may be regulated. The housing 28 also includes a vent dome 10 opening upon the space between the piston 61 and the cage 64.

The operation The operation will be readily understood from the following description.

Gas under high pressure is admitted by way of the pipe line I0, the valve- I3 being closed, the gas passes through valve I5, pipe I4 into the receiver I6 and thence through elbow fittings 24. A portion of the gas will pass through ports 52, 53 and 54, this being determined by the setting of the needle valve 5I. Gas will also be admitted through the ports 33-32 beneath the valve 31 until pressure has built up to overcome the tension of the spring 38. When such pressure has developed, the valve 31 will be raised to permit passage of gas into the high pressure chamber 21 by way of the port 33a. When the valve 31 is raised, the valve 4I is also raised, permitting passage of gas through the ports 52, 53 and 54 into the dome 46 by reason of the port 48. When the valve 31 has been fully opened the valve 44 will have been moved to closed position. The pressure of gas will continue to build up in the dome and inuence of this pressure by reason of the port 41 will tend to force the piston 39 downwardly to seat the Valve 31, and such seating of the valve 31 does occur when the required pressure has built up in the dome 46 and the upper portion of the cylinder 29 above the piston 39.

In the meantime, pressure has built up in the chamber 21a. to such extent that the valve 63 has been moved to engage the seat 62 of the cage 64, moving the piston 61 rearwardly against the spring 69. Thus, the gas released from the chamber 21a passes into the header I Ia and conduit I9 and into the macaroni string I8 for elevation of the uid in the well. As soon as the pressure in the dome 46 has been built up, the valve 31 is immediately seated, preventing further entrance of gas into the chamber 21a. At such time, the spring 69 urges the valve 63 into engagement with the seat 6I, but which does not occur until the pressure in the macaroni string is reduced to the equivalent of the spring tension 69 and in this position of the parts, the intermitter valve will be again actuated as soon as pressure has reduced in the dome 46, and thus an intermittent flow of gas to a well is eiected.

In the event that continuous ilow of gas to the well is desired, the valve I5 is closed and the valve I3 opened. It will be apparent that gas will now flow through the pipe I2, the header I Ia, the pipe I9 into the well I8.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of the intermitter valve, this is by way of illustration only, and I consider as my own, all such modifications in structure as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An intermitter valve for gas lift wells comprising a conduit having means at one end for connection with a high pressure gas line, means` adjacent the other end for connection with a well, an upright, closed cylinder carried by the conduit, extending therethrough and dividing the conduit defining a high pressure chamber, a valve cage in the base of the cylinder, and having an upwardly disposed valve seat, a valve complemental to the seat, said valve having a stem extended upwardly through the cylinder, a guide in the cylinder and receiving the stem therethrough, a helical spring on the stem interposed between the valve and the guide, a piston on the stem above the guide, lower and upper valve blocks in the cylinder each having a valve seat, valves on the stem complemental to each seat, the uppermost valve being in open position at the time the first named valve is in seated position, each of the valve blocks having ports to admit gas above the piston, the lowermost valve block having a gas port controlled by the valve thereof, a by-pass conduit connected with the gas inlet conduit and said port, a needle valve controlling passage of gas through the by-pass and the port, said upper valve block having ports open to the atmosphere, a needle valve for regulating passage of gas through the ports, a port in the cylinder below the first named valve establishing communication with the gas inlet, and a port in the cylinder above the first named valve establishing communication with the high pressure chamber.

ATHELSTAN T. WATSON. 

